An Outing With Eloise
by RevSue
Summary: Wilkes and Nanny take Eloise to a circus at a fairground.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters since the Eloise movies and the characters are the property of Disney and Kay Thompson. I make no money from this work of fiction!_

"Eloise? Might I have a word with you?" Wilkes waved down the child skipping across the lobby of the Plaza.

She obligingly changed direction and bounced over to him. "Hallo, Sir Wilkes! When did you get back from England? I thought you were going to stay there FOREVER! I'm glad you didn't, and that you came back to us!"

"Hello, Eloise. I got back late last night, thank you, and I was afraid I was going to be gone forever, too! Three months was a very long time! You look like you're off somewhere important! I won't keep you ..."

"Just my morning rounds," she shrugged. "Nanny'll be glad you're back. I'll tell her when I go back up. She's still in bed."

"Oh, is she?" Wilkes swallowed, cursing the image that rose in his mind at Eloise's words. When had he become so obsessed with the woman? When she had kissed his cheek on Christmas Eve, that's when! Since then, all he had been able to think of was how her lips had felt on his skin, how the warmth of her voluptuous body had pressed against him for all of an instant, and how his body had responded to the thoughts of his imagination ever since that night. Then he grasped after his straying mind and cleared his throat. "Yes, quite. Quite. I was wondering, Eloise, if you had heard this or perhaps even seen the papers this morning?"

He held out the morning paper to show her the large front page story about the final show of the Barnum and Bailey Circus under the big top. From July 1956 on, the circus would no longer be held in a tent but rather indoors. This April showing was to be the final performance in New York City before the circus was moved indoors to Madison Square Gardens and other venues in the city.

Eloise squealed. "The Greatest Show on Earth! I absolutely HAVE to see it!"

"I thought perhaps you would be interested. You may keep this paper, if you wish."

"Thank you so much, much, much, Sir Wilkes!" Eloise grinned, and danced off to see Walter about tickets, the paper firmly clasped in her small hand.

Wilkes smiled indulgently as he watched her go. Once upon a time, he, too, had had such energy, but no longer!

O o O o O o

It was two days before Wilkes saw Eloise again. She was sitting disconsolately on the front steps of the Plaza, an uncharacteristically long face shadowing her usually sunny countenance.

"Eloise?" he inquired as he drew closer. "Is something the matter?"

"Absolutely everything," came the gloomy answer. "Nanny is cross with me because I ate the last piece of her favourite chocolate fudge that they only make at Christmas, from the box you gave us, you know. And even WORSE, Walter said he couldn't get any tickets for the circus. He said they sold out long ago, even before the story was in the paper, and that even if Maman had wanted them, he wouldn't be able to get any! He told me this afternoon that he had tried hard, hard, hard, but it was absolutely impossible."

"Oh, I see." Wilkes grunted a little as he manoeuvred his body around to sit beside the child on the step. He thought for a moment, then said, "Would you cheer up, Eloise, if I told you that I do believe I might be able to get some tickets for the circus for you?"

Eloise's face lit up and she turned to him eagerly, "Really? Could you REALLY? Oh, Sir Wilkes, that would be absolutely divine!"

"If you will excuse me, then, I will go and make a phone call," and he managed to regain his feet although not without effort. He bowed formally, then hesitated. "Er, you ate the last of Nanny's favourite fudge?"

"I'm afraid so. She thinks that chocolate fudge from La Maison Du Chocolat is absolutely divine, and was hoarding the one last piece. I thought it might be stale."

"And was it?"

"No. That made Nanny even sadder." Eloise heaved a big sigh. "And crosser," she added as an afterthought.

Wilkes hid his grin. He knew just where he was heading after making his phone call this afternoon! Along with his other connections, he was friendly with the owner of La Maison Du Chocolat, the only place in New York City which made that particular fudge, and it just so happened that he would be passing the Rockefeller Centre where La Maison was located on his way to his dinner engagement.

O o O o O o

Later that evening, after what had seemed like an interminably long meeting over dinner with a woman who was trying to insinuate herself into Wilkes' business (and perhaps even his bed and bank account as well), Wilkes thankfully escaped her clutches. If only NANNY would seem as interested in him as this woman did! Fastidiously he showered and changed his clothes, not being able to bear the strong scent of the woman's perfume any longer. Then he hurriedly made his way to the other suite on his floor, bearing a couple of boxes in his hands, one large and one smaller one, both very elegantly wrapped.

Eloise opened the door when he knocked, and he gaped almost foolishly at her as she was dressed in her nightclothes, sported a large pink pair of sunglasses, and held an open umbrella. "Oh, hallo, Sir Wilkes!" she said cheerfully, then turned and cried, "NAAAAAANNY!"

"Eloise, no shouting, for Lord's sake! This bout is almost finished!" Nanny was seated on the sofa, her eyes glued to the television. "YES!" she shouted, bending forward and punching a fist in the air. "'It 'im 'ARDER! I KNOW you can do it! That's it! One! Two! YES!" She raised both hands in the air and collapsed back on the couch, spilling some liquid from her glass. "Oh, bother! I've spilt my beer, pet, so don't sit ... SIR WILKES!" As she had been speaking, Nanny had looked around, then shot to her feet at the sight of the man standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Aoww, I'm so, so, so sorry! I didn't realize ... Eloise told me you were back, but I..." She set her glass down on the table and stepped towards Wilkes, her face a fiery red.

"Please, no apologies necessary," he said hurriedly, his eyes running greedily and hungrily over the face that he had begun to see in his dreams. She hadn't changed a bit, unless it was to have grown more attractive in the last couple of months. "I didn't ring the bell, after all. I'm not surprised you didn't hear my knock. Was it a good bout? I didn't know you were a boxing aficionado."

"What's that?" asked Eloise, inserting herself in between the two adults determinedly. "What does a fishondo mean? Does that mean she likes boxing? 'Cause Nanny absolutely loves boxing! But I absolutely love boxes, especially when they look like presents for ME, Eloise! What is in the boxes, Sir Wilkes?" She beamed up at him ingratiatingly. "Do you have a present for me, Eloise?"

"Eloise!" Nanny gritted out, but Wilkes merely grinned at her, and bowed to the child.

"This one is for you, Eloise," he said, handing her the smaller box. "And this one for you, Nanny."

"My stars, stars, stars, it's not Christmas or our birthday! Whyever are you giving us presents?" Nanny asked him, making no move to unwrap the box he had thrust into her hands.

"Since I didn't get you something for Christmas..." he began awkwardly.

"You gave us that fudge, Sir Wilkes," Eloise reminded him, turning her own box over and over in her hands. Finally she gave up and ripped into it. In a moment she was joyously dancing around. "It's FUDGE! Your absolute favourite, Nanny! Chocolate FUDGE! And now I have some of my OWN, some just for ME, Eloise! Oh, THANK you, Sir Wilkes!"

"Oh, my Lord!" Nanny gaped at Eloise, then at Wilkes. "Oh my LORD! Eloise, don't you eat any of that!" Suddenly noticing that Eloise was tearing open the inner box, Nanny lunged for the girl and confiscated the box. "No, no, no, Eloise, not tonight, for Lord's sake! You've already cleaned your teeth! Sir Wilkes, what on earth...?"

"I understand that you are rather fond of this fudge..." he began.

"Rawther. But that is not the point!" Nanny interrupted him.

Wilkes continued doggedly, "So, since I am acquainted with the owner of La Maison, I thought I could..." he paused, not sure where he was planning to go with his sentence. Then he thought better of his words, and changed the subject, adding, "Besides, see what other gifts I come bearing tonight!" He pulled three pieces of cardboard from the inner pocket of his jacket with a flourish, "three tickets to the Greatest Show on Earth for this Saturday afternoon."

Nanny gasped in surprise, but Eloise cried out, "Oh, Sir WILKES! You did it! You DID it! Oh, Sir Wilkes, I absolutely LOVE you!" She launched herself at the gentleman who barely had time to open his arms to receive her. Eloise flung her arms around his neck, hugged him tightly and kissed him enthusiastically on the cheek.

Wilkes felt his face flushing with embarrassment, especially when Eloise released him, slid to the floor and said, "Nanny, now YOU can kiss him to thank him!"

"Eloise, I DO believe it's your bedtime!" Nanny said firmly, not meeting Wilkes' eyes. Ignoring the child's protests, Nanny put the girl's fudge high in a cupboard.

"Oh, all right, Nanny. Good night. I still love you, even if you ARE making me go to bed! And good night, Sir Wilkes. Thank you EVER so much for the fudge, and even MORE for the tickets to the circus!"

"I'm sure you and your mother and Nanny will enjoy it," Wilkes beamed at the little girl.

"Oh, Maman won't be here. She's in Paris," Eloise said matter-of-factly. "There's always SOMETHING to do and SOMETHING to see there, you know. So you'll have to come with us."

"Er, ME?" Wilkes was shocked into being ungrammatical.

"Of course! You have three tickets, don't you?" Eloise turned a somersault on her way to bed. "Oh, it's just so absolutely DIVINE that we're going to the circus, isn't it? Goodnight, Nanny and Sir Wilkes!"

"Yes, right. Er, goodnight, Eloise ..." Wilkes said almost absently, his mind whirling. Go to the circus? He hadn't been to a circus for YEARS, had had no DESIRE to go to one! He believed he had seen in the paper that there was to be a midway right beside the Big Top, and the thought of the rides almost nauseated him. It may have been half a century since he had been forced onto some of the rides on a midway, but he still remembered the sheer terror of the small boy he had been. Add that to a CIRCUS, with all those ANIMALS that smelled... and yet... he WOULD be with Nanny! Her presence would almost make up for all the rest. Eloise would be with them, of course, to help keep awkward silences at bay... Yes, perhaps this circus outing would be rather interesting and amusing at that!

He beamed at Nanny who had been peeking surreptitiously into the box of candy she still held in her hands. "I'd be delighted to attend the circus and midway with you, Nanny. That... that is, with you and Eloise," he added hastily. "After all, it's to be the last time the circus will be held under a Big Top, you know. It's going to be set up in the old Madison Square Gardens, in Madison Square near where P.T. Barnum had the Hippodrome. I understand that the first established place for the circus in New York City was there in an abandoned railroad depot in 1873. Rather fitting they hold the last one there too, don't you think?"

"'ow, er, HOW did you manage to get tickets, Sir Wilkes? Eloise said Walter told her they'd been sold out for weeks!" she asked, trying to put a classier accent on her words.

"Oh, they have. But, well, you see, the business I, well... we can get excellent seats for almost any show... it's one of the, er, perks, you know." Wilkes felt his face flushing slightly. "I do believe these are ringside seats..."

"Oh my Lord," was all Nanny could whisper, staring at him with wide eyes, awe in her expression.

"I missed you, Nanny. For the three months I was back in England, I thought of you almost every day." Wilkes admitted sheepishly. "I, er, I felt guilty not having given you your Christmas present..."

Nanny, whose face had grown very red at his frank admission, now began to stammer herself. "Oh, my stars, stars, stars, Sir Wilkes! You gave us... the fudge! But I... I didn't give you a present."

"Yes you did," he sighed, smiling reminiscently. "I almost didn't wash my face all the time I was gone." Then Wilkes grew very daring. "You still haven't given me my thank you kiss tonight, Nanny." He tapped his cheek lightly.

Her face grew redder than before. "Aoww, Sir Wilkes, I DO thank you..." She wanted to kiss him as exuberantly as Eloise had, but he was a KNIGHT, for Lord's sake! She couldn't just... just KISS him! To be sure, sure, sure, she had kissed his cheek last Christmas Eve, but that had embarrassed him so much that she had been quite ashamed of herself for days afterwards! She even had wondered over the months since if that is what had scared him away and sent him back to England! Well, it seemed that whatever had kept him away for so long wasn't anything SHE had done... and he appeared to be expecting a kiss, for sure, sure, sure! Did she have the nerve?

He waited. She made no move towards him, even when he deliberately turned the cheek she had kissed almost four months previously. He continued to wait, patiently, and at last was rewarded when she stepped hesitantly up to him and leaned forward. When he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, her vivid blue eyes were hazed over with pure, unadulterated desire, and Wilkes' groin tightened.

To her consternation and his faint surprise at his own forwardness, Wilkes turned to face her just as she touched his cheek, and her lips covered his for a heart-stopping moment before she jumped back in horror. "Aoww, Willy, I'm so, so, so sorry!"

"So am I. That you pulled away, that is." Before she could react to his comment, his hands were on her shoulders, burning through her blouse as he drew her closer, then he was kissing her again. His lips were soft and beguiling, and in moments Nanny forgot her surroundings, forgot that she was not young and beautiful, forgot that chances were good that Eloise would be watching.

When her lips parted under the force of his kiss, Nanny was lost in a sea of sensations. Her fingers curled into his jacket sleeves, she clung to him and kissed him back enthusiastically. Oh, KNICKERS, this was so, so, SO much better than her secret dreams! It almost was as if she could feel every muscle of his chest, his stomach, his legs against hers and something wicked and buried within her noticed how well they fit together. The rapid thickening of his body reminded her of how very powerful human desire was and how easily it could slip out of control. She felt his arms tighten around her, and her body flared with forbidden heat... wanting him... needing him... reacting to his hard, hot need for her as well.

His kiss deepened again and a shock of raw static tore through her, ripping her apart at every joint with the feel of him. A wild, uncontrollable urge to feel more and more of his touch was unleashed when she pressed closer to his hardness. She was overwhelmed with his scent and the scratch of whisker friction against her face. _MORE, _she thought dizzily, _I want so much, much, much more!_ Now her entire body was humming with an escalating need she had never before experienced in such an out-of-control way.

"*I* never kissed Sir Wilkes THAT long when *I* thanked him, Nanny." Eloise's awed voice cut through the sensual haze surrounding Nanny and Wilkes.

With twin gasps, they sprang apart, breathing heavily. Wilkes shielded his obvious arousal from the child's view by half turning to the door. "Perhaps... I ... I should go... I... I'm most terribly sorry, Nanny... if I... overstepped..." he stammered breathlessly, and fled.

Nanny gazed after him helplessly, wondering how it was that men seemed able to escape awkward situations so handily.

"I really don't know WHY adults like kissing so much," Eloise said conversationally when she realized that Nanny was still unable to speak. "You're all red and you're breathing funny... even if you always are just like that when you see Sir Wilkes anyway... So maybe it's not the kissing but Sir Wilkes?"

Thankful that they had only been kissing, _oh my sainted Aunt Fanny, his kisses were heavenly!_, and nothing more, Nanny almost staggered to the sofa and collapsed onto it. Her very skin was tingling with the desire to feel his body move and slide against hers, and her legs felt wobbly.

"Nanny?" Eloise stared at her.

"Hmm?" She couldn't speak yet, just COULDN'T! Her body was still humming from being in such close contact with his, her lips felt swollen and overly-sensitive.

"What is a kiss like, Nanny? Leon told me something about tongues, which sounds absolutely disgusting, and he called it a FRENCH kiss. Why is it different than an American kiss? What IS a French kiss, Nanny?"

"A Fr...?" Nanny almost swallowed the tongue that had been stroking Wilkes' heatedly. With great effort, she gathered her fragmented control about her. "Eloise, what are you doing out of bed? 'Ow many times do I 'ave to tell you that you are NOT to get up at night unless there is a real emergency?"

"But it WAS a real emergency, Nanny! I absolutely HAD to see you thank Sir Wilkes!" Eloise said frankly. Then she grimaced. "But I didn't think you'd kiss THAT long. Oh my Lord, it looked absolutely awful, like you were BITING each other instead of kissing! That's what I think! I just hope I don't have nightmares!"

Finally Nanny felt as if she was fully in control of herself again, although the colour still burned in her cheeks. "Eloise," she said firmly, "Get back into your bed right now, now, NOW."

Heaving a sigh, and muttering, "I absolutely hate it when I'm treated like a child!", Eloise trudged back into her room, Weenie trotting faithfully at her heels.

Nanny sank back on the couch and closed her eyes, reliving the most wonderful moments of her life ... she had really and truly been kissing, PASSIONATELY kissing, for Lord's sake!, a KNIGHT! _Oh my stars, stars, stars!_

O o O o O


	2. Chapter 2

To Eloise's unending delight, Wilkes had hired Maggie and Leo to drive them down to Madison Square on Saturday. The little girl, tucked securely between the two adults in the carriage, had been carolling, "He flies through the air with the greatest of ease, the daring young man on the flying trapeze!" ever since Wilkes had assured her that naturally there would be acrobats and trapezes at the circus.

"And elephants?" she asked Wilkes suddenly, breaking off her song mid-sentence.

"I, er ... elephants?" Wilkes repeated questioningly.

"Will there be elephants? And lions? It wouldn't be a circus without that, would it? Do you think they would let me, Eloise, ride on the elephant?"

Nanny broke in. "Now, Eloise, I'm sure Sir Wilkes doesn't know everything about the circus. Might I suggest you just wait to see...?"

"But Sir Wilkes knows EVERYTHING, don't you, Sir Wilkes?" Eloise nodded emphatically.

Wilkes ducked his head in embarrassment. "Perhaps not EVERYTHING..." he mumbled. Catching sight of Nanny's wide, sympathetic smile, he glanced away, embarrassed, and saw a poster on a wall they were passing. He cheered up instantly, and sat up a little straighter. "As a matter of fact, Eloise, there ARE elephants and lions, or at least one of each, and they ARE giving elephant rides."

"REALLY?" Eloise was delighted.

"See, there's a poster right over there ..." Wilkes waved at the circus sign he had just seen which proclaimed in bold letters, HAVE A RIDE ON THE ELEPHANT!

"Have YOU ridden one before?" Eloise asked.

Wilkes shook his head, smiling faintly. "No. And I was told they are extremely uncomfortable to ride..."

"They are indeed," murmured Nanny under her breath.

Eloise, however, heard her, and turned to her in surprise. "YOU have ridden on an elephant, and you DIDN'T TELL me, Nanny?"

"Here we are, at the entrance of the Greatest Show on Earth!" Maggie interrupted at that point, turning Leo into the curb.

Wilkes stepped out first, and lifted down an Eloise who was so excited she was trembling. Then he put his hand out for Nanny to take to step down, his fingers curling firmly around hers when she would have merely touched him lightly. Her surprise made her stumble a bit, and his other arm instantly went around her to support her. Nanny almost squeaked in her alarm, but couldn't step out of his embrace without appearing to be rude, rude, rude!

Tucking Nanny's hand in his arm, Wilkes held out his other hand to Eloise and said, "Shall we go in to the tent?"

Once inside, under the 'big top', they found that the seats Wilkes had had reserved for them were in the very front row centre. Eloise was ecstatic with happiness. They sat down on the benches provided, Eloise between the other two so that she could talk animatedly to both of them at once. The circus was everything she had dreamt it would be, and more. When the horse riders came out, the beautiful woman standing on the back of the white horse in the lead waved at Eloise and smiled.

"Isn't she absolutely divine, Nanny?" Eloise asked, staring spellbound. "She's wearing a PINK bathing suit! Do you think YOU could stand on a horse like that, if you wore an absolutely divine pink bathing suit covered with lace like that one? Would it be hard to stand on a horse? Even for me, Eloise? *I* have a pink bathing suit already!"

Nanny sniffed. "I 'ardly think the pink bathing suit is what keeps 'er standing up there, love." Forgetting Wilkes' presence for a moment, she grinned and confided, "And I daresay I COULD stand on the 'orse's back with a bit o' practice!" Then she caught Wilkes' speculative glance and realized he was trying to picture her just so, so she changed the subject quickly, her face flushing. "Look, 'ere come the lions and the lion tamer!"

"Oooh, LOOK, Sir Wilkes! I bet YOU are brave enough to do something like that! Have you ever tried to crack a whip like that?"

Wilkes felt his chest puff out a bit with pride. "Actually, yes, I have, and I used to be able to make it crack VERY well! Of course," he admitted quickly, "I was younger then, and more fit."

"Fit? What do you mean, more fit? You fit a long whip better?"

"Er, no..."

"Sir Wilkes, look at that! If you were a lion tamer, you could crack your whip AND you could have a beautiful lady to help you take off your cape and hold it like she is ... maybe NANNY could help you! If you were both younger, of course."

"Of course," the adults murmured, trying not to laugh.

While they were watching the acrobats, Nanny made sure Eloise realized that this was a SHOW they were watching and that SHE was not to even THINK of trying such a thing on her own.

"Not even a SOMERSAULT?" Eloise grumbled.

"Well, maybe one. But no cartwheels inside. Is that clear, Eloise?"

"Yes, Nanny," she sighed.

At that point, the lady sitting behind them leaned forward and tapped Nanny on the shoulder. "Excuse me? I've been watching the three of you almost as much as the circus, and I just HAVE to tell you that I think you and your husband are being WONDERFUL with your grandchild! I want to commend the two of you for bringing your grand-daughter to something like this. It's obvious that the three of you love each other very much indeed. I've been listening, too, and I am Nanny to MY grandson, too. After hearing your grand-daughter referring to your husband as SIR, I'm going to suggest to MY husband and daughter that HE be called Sir. It's so refreshing and so rare these days to hear such courtesy from youngsters, isn't it?" Then she turned to Wilkes. "I find it simply marvellous that your grand-daughter and your wife obviously think so highly of you!"

Nanny thought she just might die of mortification, but Sir Wilkes replied as composedly as if he had thought of Nanny as his wife and Eloise as his grand-daughter forever. "Thank you. I am greatly pleased by their regard, and return it, I assure you, madam."

Eloise, who had been enthralled by the various acts in front of her and had missed the entire thing, now cried out excitedly when she saw the elephants coming. "Look, look, LOOK! Oh, I absolutely LOVE elephants! Oh, thank you again for getting us tickets!" and she threw her arms around a startled Wilkes, climbing on his knee and giving him a loud smack on the cheek. Then she slid over his knees to sit on his other side, since that was the side where the elephants were performing their routines.

Wilkes slid closer to Nanny to make room for the child, and their hands met, jerked away, then hesitantly met again, as did their eyes. Then, holding her hand on his thigh, Wilkes looked away as he said, "The elephant rides are right after this, I believe. Do you want to ride the elephant, too?"

Nanny chuckled. "No, thank you," she murmured. "Let Eloise have 'er moment of glory! Then we can go on the rides on the midway! Now THOSE I've been waiting for all week!"

"Oh, really?" Wilkes blanched, not realizing he had tightened his grip on her hand until she winced audibly and wriggled her fingers protestingly. "Oh, Nanny, I must apologize..."

She stared at him. "You don't like rides?"

Wilkes tried to laugh. "Whatever gave you that idea? I... enjoy them... immensely! Right! Immensely!"

"You do?" she peered at him suspiciously.

"Oh yes, yes, terribly so... Eloise, it's time for the elephant rides..." Very relieved, Wilkes stood up along with the rest of the crowd and they filed out the doors the elephants had exited, as indicated by the ringmaster. Since he was still holding Nanny's hand, his fingers laced with hers, he took Eloise's hand in his free one to keep the little girl by their side.

O o O o O o

As they watched Eloise swaying on the back of the elephant along with other delighted children as the animal ambled around a ring, then as the three of them made their way to the midway, still hand in hand, Nanny found that she was very aware of the growing excitement between Sir Wilkes and herself. Her blood was pulsing to the music of the carnival. She felt giddy and a little breathless. Her senses were heightened by the sunlight, the warmth, the joyous noise all around her, and by Sir Wilkes holding her hand firmly. Walking beside him, Nanny was very conscious of him, and of the deep delight stirring in her body. Eloise danced along at their sides, first holding Nanny's hand, then holding Wilkes' hand.

"Ah! The carousel! Shall we ride on that first, Nanny? Eloise?" Wilkes pointed out the merry-go-round. It certainly seemed tame enough!

"Absolutely! All the rides!" Eloise cried.

Trying not to grimace at the thought, Wilkes bought a booklet of ride tickets at the booth in the centre of the square. They walked over to the merry-go-round, and handed over their tickets before stepping up onto the platform. This fair was different from other fairs Nanny had been to in that the crowds simply were not there. There were no line ups for any of the rides that she could see, and none of them were going full. Everyone must be over at the next show in the circus tent.

Choosing a horse with a sidesaddle simply because it looked elegant, Nanny balanced herself carefully, putting one knee over the pommel of the saddle. Wilkes smiled up at her. "I must say you look at home on that horse, Nanny, and..." he broke off as her face registered surprise and a touch of embarrassment. He cleared his throat, then grabbed at a pole when the merry-go-round started moving slowly.

"What about ME, Sir Wilkes? Do I look at home on a horse, too?" Eloise had chosen a bucking bronco a few horses further away and she was astride it, waving and yelling shrilly as she looked back at them.

"You do indeed, Miss Eloise!" he called to her.

As the carousel picked up speed, the tinned music belting out, Nanny's horse moved up and down. Wilkes continued to stand, holding the pole. "Sir Wilkes," Nanny bent over to speak to him. "Why don't you try sitting on this blue horse beside me? It's much more fun."

"Why, I, er ... I daresay I could..." and he seated himself astride the blue steed. "Yes, yes, quite..."

Nanny watched him from the corners of her eyes, noting the smile that crossed his face as he relaxed. He must have had a bad experience at a fair at some point in his past, but he was determined to do whatever they wanted even if it killed him. She thought that was terribly sweet! Suddenly Nanny noticed Eloise was trying to stand up on her horse. "Eloise! What are you doing, for Lord's sake? Sit down, down, DOWN!"

Eloise dropped back onto the saddle. "But Nanny, the beautiful pink lady was doing it at the circus WITHOUT a pole to hold onto, and I HAVE one!"

"Eloise, what did I tell you? If you don't behave properly, we are going to have to leave, leave, LEAVE!"

Pouting, Eloise turned away and didn't say anything else. Nanny glanced at Wilkes, then down at her hands on the pole attached to her horse, her lips quirked suddenly in a grin. She should have expected Eloise to try it! In fact, it wouldn't have surprised her to have Eloise beg HER to try it! Eloise was right about one thing, it would be a lot easier to have a pole to hang onto when attempting to stand on the back of a horse!

When they got off the merry-go-round, Wilkes was enthusiastic. "I should like to have another go at that."

"Me too! Can we, Nanny?" Eloise begged.

"Later we will." Nanny promised. "I'd like to try some of the other rides, first."

"Yes, yes, quite..." and Wilkes' spirits sank a little. Then he swallowed and said bravely, "Are you planning to go on the roller coaster, Nanny? Eloise?" and he indicated the steel girders of that ride.

"YES!" cried Eloise in delight.

"I 'ad 'oped to go on it. You WILL come with us, won't you?" Nanny's eyes were faintly pleading as she looked at him.

"I do find that there are some rides more... er, difficult than the rest. There is a height restriction on the roller coaster, I do believe. Is Eloise tall enough?"

"Of COURSE, Sir Wilkes!" Eloise said scornfully. "I've been on them LOTS of times!"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course."

"How many times have YOU been on a roller coaster, Sir Wilkes?"

"I, er, as a matter of fact, Eloise, I... that is to say... never," he confessed.

"So this is your lucky day because you can go with Nanny and ME, Eloise!" the little girl grinned.

With some trepidation, they got into the relatively short lineup. There was a boy of about eight just ahead of them, tugging on his mother's arm, trying to get her to stay and go on the ride with him, but she was shaking her head. "No, James. If you want to go, you'll have to go by yourself!"

"He can sit with ME, Eloise," Eloise spoke up. "I don't think I'll fit very well with Nanny and Sir Wilkes in that little car. I'm Eloise. I'm six!"

"I'm James and I'm eight." The boy eyed her for a moment, then squinted up at Nanny and Wilkes. "Did she say SIR?"

"Er, yes..."

"Sir Wilkes is a real knight, and he fights dragons and lions and, oh, absolutely everything. He's really brave," Eloise said, importantly.

"Would you mind if James and your grand-daughter...?" the other woman appealed to Nanny and Wilkes. "I wouldn't want to impose... but I really do not like roller coasters!"

"Tosh, tosh, tosh! It's no imposition," Wilkes said, inwardly wondering at the young woman's adamant avoidance of the ride, even as Nanny nodded, smiling. He assumed there was a reason for all the screaming coming from the cars, but he hoped it wasn't as terrible as his imagination was making it out to be. Perhaps the screaming was simply children having fun...

The two children got into one car, and Nanny and Wilkes sat behind them. The roller coaster started up the hill slowly.

"This doesn't seem bad at all." Wilkes said, looking out over the fairgrounds and the circus tent. "A good view from here. I DO wonder why everyone was screaming a few minutes ago. This ride seems fairly tame to me right –-"

At that moment they reached the top of the hill. The cars seemed to hesitate at the very peak, then plunged down and whipped around the curves. Nanny couldn't help herself and she shrieked along with everyone else. Eloise and James both had lifted their hands from the rail holding them in the car and were screaming, following the example of some older children ahead of them. Wilkes clutched at the rail, and closed his eyes tightly. Not a sound escaped his lips which were clenched together. When the roller coaster slid into the exit area a few minutes later, he slowly opened his eyes and released his knuckle-whitening grip on the rail without a word.

They climbed down from the ride, and after saying goodbye to James and walking away from the area, Nanny stopped and looked at Wilkes. "Are you all right, Sir Wilkes?"

At last, he found his voice. "I feel as if I've been through a hurricane!"

"Me, too!" Eloise laughed, not have noticed any undercurrents. "It was absolutely divine, wasn't it?"

Nanny laughed. "So you don't want to go on it again, Sir Wilkes?" she teased him, swinging Eloise's hand.

"Actually, it was a magnificent ride, don't you think? Now that I know what to expect, I shall enjoy it immensely next time." Wilkes hoped his knees would stop shaking soon, and actually wondered that lightning didn't smite him for his bold-faced lies.

Before he could take Nanny's hand again, she indicated a black and red rotating ride. "Well, let's try this ... this octopus first." The ride did indeed look like a giant octopus with tentacles holding cars that also rotated.

"Is it similar to the roller coaster?" Wilkes eyed it cautiously, feeling dizzy just from watching.

"Similar. It goes fast, too." Nanny nodded.

"They're absolutely fun, fun, fun!" Eloise enthused. "Even Nanny likes them!"

"Very well. If you can take it, so can I!" and Wilkes gritted his teeth, hoping he would live through these few hours on the midway without disgracing himself by being sick.

Nanny smiled at him, and suddenly he felt a good deal better about everything. They passed the attendant their tickets, and stepped up into one of the cars. Eloise sat in the middle. The attendant clamped down the lap rail and moved on to load another car. Wilkes looked at Nanny's hands on the rail ahead.

"Another ride where we hang on?" he questioned.

"Oh, for sure, sure, sure!" she nodded.

With a jerk, the ride started. As it picked up speed, the force on the next turn threw Nanny into Eloise, and the two of them pressed into Wilkes. Eloise dissolved into giggles. Wilkes' eyes widened, and at the expression of shock on his face, Nanny broke into laughter and laughed more than she had in a long time. There was almost tinge of hysteria to it. "I'm so, so, so sorry," she gasped again through her laughter, "but your face is just so ... so ..."

The ride slowed down and he said, "Ah, at last." But he spoke too soon, for the instant it stopped, it began to spin the other way.

"Oh, no!" Nanny tried to hold on to her place, but without success. The centrifugal force squashed her into the corner, Eloise next to her, and Wilkes almost atop her. At last the ride ended. Nanny and Eloise were weak from laughter, and Nanny stumbled as she made her way down the ramp at the exit. Wilkes' hand shot out instinctively, but she caught at the side rail. Her dancing eyes met his, and an answering twinkle in his expression sent shockwaves of joy through her system.

She almost said aloud, "I LOVE you for braving this fair with us!" but caught the words back, and turned away. "I think I'd rawther not go on THAT ride again," she spoke lightly. "Perhaps we should go on the merry-go-round again?"

"YES!" cried Eloise.

"Perhaps we should, Nanny." Wilkes acquiesced, wiping his brow.

The three had a marvellous couple of hours, trying various rides and going on some of the tamer ones two or three times. They wandered along the various booths where young men and children were trying to win stuffed toys by throwing balls or shooting at moving targets, and stood and watched while a man guessed people's weights, and a lineup of men took turns swinging a heavy hammer and trying to ring the bell at the top of the post.

Wilkes grinned. "I might be able to do THAT. Would you like that big panda over there, Eloise?"

"That would be absolutely divine, Sir Wilkes!" Eloise danced happily.

He took off his jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves and swung the hammer. To everyone's surprise, including his own, he managed it first try, and Eloise became the proud owner of the panda.

"I should like to win something for you, too, Nanny," he confessed.

"Oh my Lord! Thank you for the thought, Sir Wilkes, but it's not necessary! I don't need any more than I already have, for sure, sure, sure..." Her eyes showed her joy in being with him, then she turned away with a little sigh. What was she saying? Of course she didn't NEED more, but she would certainly LIKE more. Much more.

Nanny bought some cotton candy for the three of them, and she and Eloise laughed at the expression of disgust on Wilkes' face when the candy melted in his mouth almost before he tasted it.

"Try a bigger piece, Sir Wilkes," Eloise advised him, "and pinch it between your fingers."

He followed the instructions and nodded as the cotton candy again dissolved, leaving a sweet flavour in his mouth. "Different." he pronounced. "I'm not sure I would want to eat such a mountain of sugar, but I can see that it would not be very filling."

"Now what?" Eloise asked, expectantly.

"How about the ferris wheel? It's a double ferris wheel!" Nanny pointed at it.

Wilkes gulped. He had never told anyone he was afraid of heights. Gamely, however, he fastened a smile on his face and followed the two over.

"I don't think that the panda and me, Eloise, will fit in the same seat as you and Sir Wilkes, Nanny. Four people absolutely DON'T fit in!" Eloise announced.

"I'm not 'aving you go by yourself, Eloise!" Nanny said severely, visions of the little girl hanging over the edge and falling to her death racing through her mind.

"Er, perhaps I should sit this one out?" Wilkes suggested weakly.

"No, no, no!" Eloise said firmly. She looked around, and her eyes lit up seeing a familiar face just a few people ahead of her in line. "Hey, JAMES! It's ME, Eloise!"

James and his mother turned, and smiled. They moved back in the line. "You're all going on the ferris wheel?" the boy's mother asked Nanny. Her face was pale. "Would it be possible for James and your grand-daughter to go together? I... really don't like heights at all, but James was SO disappointed when I tried to refuse. This is the only day we could come..."

"I'd absolutely LOVE to go with James!" shouted Eloise happily. "And Panda, too, of course. Nanny and... and Grandpa..." she grinned cheekily at him, "can sit together and hold hands and kiss..." She made a face.

James gagged and his mother cuffed him lightly before saying to a startled Nanny and Wilkes, "Thank you EVER so much!" She stepped back out of the line gratefully, just as the line started moving.

James, Eloise and Eloise's large panda were seated in one of the bench seats and the bar lowered. Then the ferris wheel moved a little further ahead, and the attendant motioned for Nanny and Wilkes to approach. Gulping, Wilkes steadfastly moved forward, his grip on Nanny's elbow rawther tight. They sat down and the attendant swung the bar down across their laps and locked them in. Then he swung the seat hard to make it rock back and forth as the wheel moved forward.

Both Nanny and Wilkes grabbed for the bar at the same time ... and Wilkes' hand landed half over Nanny's. They looked at their hands for a moment, then snuck a glance at each other and smiled shyly before they carefully and self-consciously began to try to edge away. The sudden movement of the ferris wheel as it went further around set the seat to rocking again, and Wilkes' hand returned almost convulsively to hers, this time covering it totally. Nanny almost stopped breathing, and didn't dare meet his eyes a second time.

As the wheel moved slowly up, stopping briefly every few seconds to load another seat, Nanny finally braved another glance at Wilkes, and he smiled shakily at her. Filled with a heady excitement, she was struck by a crazy impulse to reach up and trace the outline of his lips gently with her fingers. The words of an old song flashed through her mind: "Do not touch me, lest I turn to flame..."

With a gasp, Nanny pulled her eyes away from Wilkes' intense gaze. She looked out over the park and made a hasty comment about the scenery, her eyes then going to Eloise and James in the seat ahead, talking and laughing and waving at James' mother below.

"Ah, but the scenery INSIDE this seat has something even better," he said gallantly.

"INSIDE...?" Nanny began, her curiosity overwhelming. She knew he had been very careful not to look over the side, and had just now realized that he was afraid of heights, so she wondered at his words. Then she understood what he had meant, and her cheeks reddened.

"Eyes bluer than the bluest August sky, and an enchanting smile that's enough to bring a man to his knees ..." he murmured, his fear of heights almost forgotten as he continued to fix his gaze on her.

Feeling rawther touched by his words when she knew he was terrified, Nanny's smile blossomed for him. By now they were at the very top of the wheel. It stopped with a jolt and their seat swung gently. Wilkes brought his head closer towards Nanny's. All sounds seemed to mute as their eyes met and the bond between them was forged anew. An intense physical awareness sprang into being. Flames leaped into his eyes, blinding her to all else but them and the moment. The instant their lips touched, Nanny knew that his mouth was too invitingly persuasive by far. As when he had kissed her before, she felt such a strong, swift rising of desire that it took her breath away. Indeed, she thought she might never breathe again... and might never want to.

His hand tightened over hers, and she shivered. The heat from his touch melted some deeply buried defence mechanism she had desperately clung to for years. She moaned faintly, but couldn't draw back. Not yet. It excited her to think that he was attracted to her. Desperately she slid even closer to him, leaning into him and deepening the kiss. Her reaction astonished herself, and him.

Wilkes pulled back first, easing his body away from hers carefully, trying to keep his emotions from showing on his face. He didn't think he would ever be afraid of heights again, thanks to the generosity of the woman sitting next to him... the woman he was beginning to realize he loved more than anything else in the entire world. That realization, along with his racing heart from the emotions of the past few minutes, quite took his breath away.

Gradually the sounds of the fair came back, and the rocking of the chair they were in commenced once more as the ferris wheel moved slowly around yet again. Nanny was mortified that her feelings had shown so blatantly. 'I'm pathetic,' she castigated herself, 'What must he think of me? He's a knight, from an upper class background, for Lord's sake! I was reared in poverty... my life so far from his as to be laughable!'

What made her attraction to Sir Wilkes all the more irresistible was that she was no longer a young, naïve girl. She was a full-grown woman now, with needs and desires that could no longer be ignored. She had thrown herself into hard work over the years to distract herself from the emptiness of her existence, but now it seemed as if that lonely existence was crying out for more. Once Eloise was in school, or out on her own, what would there be for Nanny? She would be too old for another position... too old, and too tired. Surely for once, before she was too, too, too old for Lord's sake, she could have a relationship with someone just for herself! She wanted to feel like an attractive woman again... she wanted to be swept up once more in the magic of emotion and desire... she wanted Sir Wilkes even if she could only have him temporarily...

Eloise twisted around in her seat ahead and shouted back to them, "Isn't this absolutely divine, being up so high and swinging? I absolutely LOVE ferris wheels!"

O o O o O o


	3. Chapter 3

When they reached their suite on the top floor of the Plaza, exhausted but happy with their day, Eloise struggled with the key and her panda, then heard the telephone ringing inside. "Oh, it's Maman!" At last she got the door unlocked and ran in to grab the phone.

Nanny looked shyly at Wilkes. "It must be her mother, as she's still talking... and telling her about the circus and the rides."

"Mmmhmm," Wilkes smiled and nodded absently.

"Sir Wilkes, I cannot thank you enough for everything today. I'm sure Eloise enjoyed it... and I know *I* did."

"All of it?" he asked, significantly, and his eyes fell to her lips.

Nanny's mouth went dry as the air rapidly became charged with erotic possibilities. "A-All of it," she admitted huskily.

Before she could move back, he pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. "So did I." He kissed the other corner of her mouth in the same manner. "All of it." Then his lips covered hers for a brief, heart-stopping moment.

At her sudden intake of breath, he raised his head slightly, then ran his tongue over his lips as if to taste her. "You're so very, very, very special, Nanny. Mmmhmmm, I enjoyed ALL of it."

The first brush of his lips on hers had set her aflame. The combustion was instantaneous and enthralling and it consumed her entirely, sensations running through her like a hot river. Nanny almost melted as his mouth moved over hers again. His touch set her on fire and was almost too much for her sensation-starved body. She felt every nerve jump to attention, every single cell and pore screaming for more and more. The kiss was demanding and she could feel herself being swept away on the tide of spiralling need that flowed between them. She could feel it in the leap of her breasts at the touch of his chest pressed firmly against her. She could feel it in his body, the energy and strength that pulsed there. She could taste it in his kiss, the heat and fire that burned against her mouth as she returned his kiss with fevered urgency. She could feel it in her own body, the ache and throb of unmet needs that refused to be denied any longer.

"Willy..." she breathed in wonder when she could speak again. "Oh my Lord... Willy... 'ow could you possibly think that *I* am special? I'm a nobody! I'm invisible to people of your station..."

Wilkes had no intentions of leaving Nanny with any doubt about being wanted, about how special, how unforgettable, how totally un-invisible she was. He kissed her again, and the muted sounds coming from her were not the sounds of an untried girl, but rather the sounds of a woman who wanted to be loved. "Nanny..." he breathed in wonder at the rising tide of passion that was beginning to overwhelm him.

"Oh, knickers, Willy, we're in PUBLIC! In the HALLWAY, for Lord's sake!" Nanny trembled with desire even as she tried to draw back.

"Yes, yes, of course..." He released his grip slightly, and she bit her lip at the loss, taking deep breaths as she edged further away from him. Wilkes kissed her softly once more. "I suppose you should go inside, much as I would rather stay up all night with you and cuddle..."

"Oh, my stars, stars, stars, Willy!" she began before her faint protests died under the pressure of his lips again.

"Sir Wilkes took Nanny and me, Eloise, to the CIRCUS today! It was absolutely divine!"

Eloise's voice penetrated the haze in which Nanny was floating, and in a panic, she put her hands on Wilkes' chest and tried to push away.

"Oh, they're still out in the hallway. Maybe Nanny is giving him another thank-you kiss."

Wilkes grunted slightly and reluctantly released Nanny, both of them flushed and breathing heavily. Neither one could look the other in the eye, and neither could think of a thing to say.

"Oh, I think Sir Wilkes likes her too, now... you should just SEE how he looks at her. And Maman, they were holding hands almost all day!"

"She noticed..." Wilkes said at last when his breathing was almost normal.

Nanny smiled shyly at him. "Eloise would, for sure, sure, sure."

"She's half right, too," he added impulsively.

"'alf right?"

"I... I suppose it could be said that I like you ... but that doesn't quite cover it... I must say, I'm rather glad Eloise noticed."

Nanny was startled and flattered... and terrified. "Why?" she asked, rawther bluntly as she inwardly acknowledged.

"Cannot a man admire a woman without his motives being questioned?" Wilkes asked with a faint smile now that he had managed to get the words out.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, Nanny studied him for a moment. "No, he can't. Eloise did this, didn't she? It's because of what she said..."

Wilkes shook his head, his eyes still on hers. "No, Nanny, Eloise is not party to my thoughts. Perhaps I simply find your company fascinating? I enjoyed today immensely, and hope to begin to woo you properly now that Eloise suspects my motives. Then perhaps we will be fortunate enough to do some cuddling without our little chaperone being... you know, disgusted by our behaviour. You... you do agree, do you not?" His eyes were pleading.

With a short laugh of disbelief, Nanny considered his words for a moment, but all her instincts were screaming at her that if she believed him now, she would become accustomed to something that could never be hers. She didn't think she could bear the pain of being spurned once more. No. Sir Wilkes was above her station. It was best that she remember that, and keep her distance, and perhaps her sanity. Therefore it was something of a shock to hear herself agree softly. "Yes, I… I suppose…" Perhaps she could change to become the sort of person he deserved...

Wilkes beamed at her, then drew her close again and, as he nuzzled her ear, he whispered, "And don't ever change, Nanny. You are so special... suffering through interminably boring teas at a friend's behest, then doing your best to help an annoying stranger get back on track, crashing through crowds to help someone you love, throwing your enthusiasm and joy into things as simple as midways and boxing bouts..."

As his murmur died away, along with much of her apprehension, she welcomed his lips on hers once more.

"Oh my LORD, you two! Holding hands and kissing all DAY!" Eloise interrupted them again, exasperation evident in her voice.

It was impossible to continue kissing when both Nanny and Wilkes began to chuckle. Still in each other's arms, however, they turned to face Eloise. "Get used to it, love," Nanny advised her. "Perhaps you'll see more of this than you ever imagined."

Wilkes nodded, in complete agreement. "MUCH more of this," he added. "Much, much, much!" and he and Nanny shared a secret smile.

The End


End file.
